1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to medical devices, apparatus and methods, and specifically relates to techniques for identifying and organizing a plurality of catheters, intravenous lines and the like in preparation for and during patient transport as well before, during and after surgical and medical procedures, and thereafter maintaining those catheters and lines in an organized fashion.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
During the course of complex surgical and medical procedures, the patient is often infused simultaneously with a plurality of medications and fluids. Those medications and fluids are fed into the patient's body through catheters, intravenous and fluid lines and the like. Additionally, catheters are frequently utilized to monitor body functions, such as intra-cardiac, arterial and venous pressures. Many of these catheters, fluid lines and monitoring lines are put in place in the patient's body prior to the patient being transported. Frequently, when the patient is being transported, these catheters and lines have a tendency to become severely entangled, greatly compromising the ability of the attending physicians (such as anesthesiologist) to monitor the medications being infused, to give additional medications and/or to monitor body functions. This problem of confusing lines and catheters entering the patient's body is exacerbated under emergency conditions. A further difficulty is stress on the catheters and lines, causing them to become disconnected. These difficulties increase the risk of patient injury by either infusing medicine or blood at the wrong entry site, or by failing to infuse needed medications.
An example of such difficulties under emergency conditions frequently occurs during the administration of the well known percutaneous transluminal coronary artery angioplasty (PTCA) procedure, when it is determined that the patient will require emergency open heart surgery. During the PTCA procedure, numerous catheters and intravenous lines are already in place; if the patient requires emergency open heart surgery, then numerous additional catheters and intravenous lines are required as well.
Once in the operating room, the numerous catheters, intravenous and monitoring lines must be placed in such a way as to not cause stress on the entry site of each line, but nevertheless permit easy access to the infusion catheters and monitoring lines by the anesthesiologist, as well as access to the patient by the surgeon and operating team.
These problems described above are present with the need for non-emergent as well as emergent transport of patients whenever numerous pressure and intravenous catheters exists. Examples include the transport of these patients from one part of the hospital to another; or intensive care unit or cardiac care unit to X-ray for diagnostic tests or the operating room for surgery; or from the emergency room. Similar problems occur with intra hospital transport of such patients (via air helicopter/airplane; or ambulance).